I’m actually kinda done with these characters in a sense. I wouldn’t mind seeing what other people are doing, or even maybe a group of regular players somewhere else. Maybe investigate what happened to the Orcs? We’ve only ever seen them once really early in the comic. c:

Don’t let their size fool you, dwarves are incredibly robust and strong people. There’s a reason they tend to be the default heavy infantry and brawlers of fantasy settings. They’re build like Neanderthals, meaning compact, muscular, great sprinters, and muscles already stronger per pound than a normal human. The only downside is density. Simply put, dwarves tend to sink.

Doesn’t matter how long the legs are, as long as they’re moving fast enough. Of course, you can’t keep that sort of rapid movement up for long, hence sprinting.

Also, arm pumping has been shown to add a lot to the forward speed of sprinters- it’s why you see a lot of modern sprinters built like Mr. Universe, where before they’d look more like a stick stuck to a pair of meaty thighs. Dwarves, with their long arms (compared to body length) wold have another bonus in that.

I once gave the DM a hard time, with my Dwarf.
Prisoner was tied in a rope and made to run behind the caravan… my dwarf kept him company, jogging in heavy armor.
Later it turned out to be one of those “prisoner escapes as soon as nobody is looking because the one who tied him there wants him to escape” gigs, and the poor bastard really wasn’t happy to hear my repertoire of dwarven marching songs.
Suited the bastard right :D

Has it been established whether mature males of non-human humanoid species are also “men”?

I.e., is it Tolkienesque usage like in “the Last Alliance of Elves and Men” (in which case E-Merl being only half-elf might be close enough for Gravy) or is Gravedust also a man, his dwarfhood being irrelevant?

As far as I remember, Humans have been called Humans or Gastonians in GA. Either way, in English “Man” means both Homo Sapiens as well as an adult male of that species, thanks to Homo’s virtue of being the only higher evolved species on this planet, but if Arkerran/Gastonian is equal to English (per Fantasy rules) the second meaning will probably include every adult male person. Otherwise it’s just the translator’s decision to use that word.

To be fair, as most terms describing women are a modification on the root of ‘man’, had humanity risen with a matriarchal society (though it very well might have, in the times before civilization), “Man” would have been the term to refer to females, and even the word ‘male’ would be the term for the childbearing members of our species. Then things like ‘fe-male’ and ‘wo-man’ would be the terms used for the ‘not-male’ and ‘other-man’ gender.

Warning! Etymology nerd alert! While woman is essentially “female-man” (wif-mon), female is from Latin “femina” while male is (though a circuitous path) from the Latin “mas.” They coevolved towards each other as folks *assumed* they were etymologically related (even though it was coincidence). Okay, having done my etymology nerd schtick, let me put my support behind Anvildude’s general response and extend it. Many many many female proper names are diminutives of male proper names (examples: look for -ssa or -lla following the Latin roots like actress, Clarissa, Gabriella). And it doesn’t stop there because when looking at baby names, while the rich families lead the trends (and then the middle-class and then the poor follow suit), there is also the trend of male names being adopted as female names (e.g. Leslie, Ashley, Dale).

So new characters… Quick question: does anybody else want to see a non-docile orc in action? Cause I’m hoping for some good ole’fashioned orcs in action. And c’mon. Even if the orcs really are as stupid as all the other races claim they are, at least one of them has to be tired of getting beaten and pushed around by those inferior goblins.

Honestly, I was kinda thinking Middle Earth Isengard Berserker Uruk Hai. There are two reasons for this. One, it’s been so long sense we saw them that I completely forgot what the orcs in this world look like. Second, I actually got introduced to Lotr before anything else with orcs and always liked the aesthetic of the Uruk Hai compared to most other fantasy orc designs. But I will settle for a Hammerorc. (Even if I do think the tusks and body stature make those orcs look ridiculous look ridiculous lol.)

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